What is the zero trust security model?
Zero trust security is a cybersecurity model built on the principle that no user, device, or system should be inherently trusted—whether inside or outside the network perimeter.
In this model, every human, endpoint, mobile device, server, network component, network connection, application workload, business process, and flow of data is considered untrusted by default.
To maintain security, every access request must be continuously authenticated, authorized, and audited. Even routine transactions are risk-assessed in real time—based on factors such as location, time of access, and session status. All actions must be tracked and auditable during and after execution.
Zero trust is a dynamic, living system. Access rules are continuously evaluated, and every transaction is re-inspected to ensure ongoing compliance with policy. Implementing zero trust requires deep visibility and control across users, devices, and applications.
According to Gartner, by 2026, only 10% of large enterprises will have a mature and measurable zero-trust program in place—up from less than 1% today. This slow adoption is largely due to the complexity of integrating zero trust at an enterprise-wide scale.
But zero trust isn’t just a future-looking aspiration—it’s a necessary shift in how organizations approach access, authentication, authorization, auditing, and continuous monitoring in an increasingly hostile threat landscape.
A strong identity and access management (IAM) program is often the starting point for organizations pursuing zero trust. It’s the foundation that supports verifying identities and enforcing the principle of least privilege access (LPA)—both essential for reducing risk in a zero-trust environment.
You won't adopt zero trust overnight, but you can begin the journey today—knowing that you're helping your organization build cyber resilience against current and future threats.
How does zero trust work?
Zero trust works by enforcing the principle of least privilege access (LPA)—ensuring that users, devices, and systems only have the minimum level of access needed to perform a specific task. Access is continuously reassessed based on real-time context.
For example, when a user attempts to access an application, zero trust applies a secondary authentication factor on top of the user’s existing credentials. But it doesn’t stop there. The system also analyzes other contextual signals, such as:
- Is the device operating within an approved geofence?
- Is the access time consistent with the user's typical behavior?
- Is there already an active session from this user or device?
Each authentication attempt is risk-assessed in real time, using behavioral and contextual data to determine whether access should be allowed, restricted, or denied.
Even if an attacker manages to compromise credentials—including multi-factor authentication (MFA) tokens via insecure channels like SMS—they won’t gain full access to the network. Instead, they’d be restricted to a narrow set of approved services or applications, typically segmented through micro-perimeters or software-defined perimeters.
If the attacker attempts anything unusual—like running a network scan or accessing unauthorized services—monitoring systems will flag the behavior. The connection is quarantined for investigation, and the user is locked out automatically.
In a zero trust environment, each transaction must satisfy specific rules related to:
- Authentication
- Authorization
- Behavioral monitoring
- Continuous auditing
This architecture ensures that access isn’t just granted once and forgotten—it’s validated continuously, helping organizations prevent unauthorized lateral movement and respond to threats faster.
Zero trust use cases
The zero-trust security methodology can really apply to any device, application, or human connecting to the internet or connected systems. Authentication applies in all cases – especially those of a sensitive nature – in order to best protect the business. Let’s take a look at some specific use cases:
Securing device access
Internet of Things (IoT) devices are constantly sending and requesting data from any number of applications on a company’s network. In more traditional security models, IoT devices were imparted a certain level of trust based on a multitude of factors. As the number of these devices—and the attack surface they create—continues to grow, implementing zero trust alongside strong endpoint security practices ensures that every connection is authenticated and monitored.
Securing remote worker/application access
The pandemic was a gift for attackers due to companies around the world scrambling to set up a remote workforce to mitigate productivity downturns. Attack perimeters expanded almost overnight as proper security became secondary to keeping businesses running.
Emerging from the pandemic, much of the global workforce is hybrid – a few days in the office, a few days at home – so solutions like zero trust should remain in place in order to protect businesses in this new normal. Each worker must authenticate their access to corporate network applications, every day.
Securing supply chain access
Relying on third party suppliers and vendors is the baseline in today’s economy. No business or security organization can be entirely independent and thrive. Stakeholders must assume that any third-party network access introduces risk, especially given the rise in supply chain attacks that exploit trusted vendor relationships. Therefore, those outside vendors must continuously validate and authenticate their network presence in order to mitigate cyberthreats that may emerge from that supplier’s own environment.
Protecting against ransomware
Root causes of ransomware are attributable to a multitude of errors: misconfiguration, human, weak authentication protocols, and general lack of cybersecurity awareness. Ok, so lots of those are human-attributable. That’s why a zero-trust architecture is a crucial weapon in the fight against ransomware – it requires authentication of access to only the area where a human or application needs to take action.
How to implement zero trust
Implementing zero trust is not an overnight task—it requires careful planning, phased execution, and continuous evaluation. Rather than trying to convert your entire infrastructure at once, it's best to start with a single business process or service and build from there.
Timing and resources
Before deploying zero trust, it’s important to assess what you can realistically implement given your organization’s current tools, budget, and staffing. You shouldn't—and likely can't—migrate all systems to zero trust at once.
Start by identifying a high-value service or business process that could benefit from tighter access controls. Then, begin laying the groundwork: secure stakeholder support, evaluate your existing tooling, and assess what new solutions or team members you may need.
Once you’ve transitioned your initial service, leave it in place for a period of time to learn what works and what needs adjusting. This iterative approach will help you scale zero trust more sustainably across other processes.
Standing up a solution
After planning, it’s time to build. Begin by mapping out the service you’ve selected and identifying all the components involved—people, systems, data, and workflows. This full architecture needs to be documented so you can determine where authentication, authorization, auditing, and enforcement should occur.
You may find that the architecture needs to be reimagined to support zero trust properly. You’ll need tools for access control, risk scoring, logging, and behavior analysis—along with staff to configure and maintain them.
This includes standard security hygiene such as patching, configuration management, and rule enforcement. Once the initial implementation is stable, repeat the process for other services or systems in your environment.
Adopting the zero trust mindset
Successfully implementing zero trust requires more than technology—it demands a shift in mindset. One of the most common concerns is that zero trust may slow down operations or restrict productivity. But with the right approach, it can actually enhance both.
Start by conducting a scenario-based risk assessment for a specific business process. Work closely with process owners to identify where potential threats may arise and what the consequences could be at each transaction point. Quantify the risks wherever possible, such as downtime, data loss, or reputational impact.
Then, model the same process with zero trust principles applied. Show how continuous authentication, access control, and auditing reduce or eliminate those risks. Highlight how designing new processes from the ground up with zero trust in mind can lead to:
- Lower implementation costs
- Greater long-term resilience
- Easier scalability and maintenance
Adopting a zero trust mindset isn't just about better security—it's about building a more adaptable, efficient, and sustainable foundation for your business.